'It looked like absolute hell': Calls for more support as White Rock Lake wildfire continues threatening homes

Vancouver -

Christian Sasse is back in his summer home, after an evacuation order was reduced to an alert for his property between Kelowna and Vernon.

He was forced to flee as the White Rock Lake fire was quickly growing in size last week during a period of high winds.

"It was unbearable to just see in the background," Sasse said of the massive blaze. "It looked like absolute hell."

On Tuesday morning, he was allowed back in his home, but thousands of properties remain on evacuation orders and alerts in the area because of the raging wildfire.

The White Rock Lake fire is now more than 55,000 hectares and still classified as out of control.

Residents in Monte Creek and Paxton Valley are subject to an evacuation order, but a handful of people have stayed behind, trying to protect anything left standing.

"Our husbands are there putting out fires for the last two days and they have not seen anyone," Lindsay Madsen told CTV News over the weekend. "No one has come up and said, 'Hey guys, you got to get out, we’re taking over.' Because they’d be gone. They’d be here with us."

On Monday, Rob Bouchard explained why he personally stayed behind.

“We wouldn’t be here if it was dangerous,” he told CTV News while standing in Monte Lake. “I mean we’re putting out small fires. We’re doing what we need to do. We’ve saved, probably, four houses that have lit on fire multiple times.”

On Tuesday, the province defended its response, saying the B.C. Wildfire Service has been working on the blaze since it was first reported on July 13, with crews on the ground within 30 minutes of the discovery.

“Our initial attack crews were on scene immediately but were diverted from their efforts tactically to evacuate properties in the area given the threat to life and property,” said Rich Manwaring, deputy minister, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.

Forests Minister Katrine Conroy reiterated the government's warnings about the danger of ignoring evacuation orders.

“It’s just too dangerous to stay behind. You simply put your life and lives of others a risk,” she said. “We can’t ask firefighters to risk their lives and face down a wall of flames because someone made an unwise decision to not evacuate.”

Manwaring said when it started, there were 300 wildfires burning elsewhere in the province at the same time, and the While Rock Lake fire had very aggressive behaviour from the start.

“Upon the initial report of this fire it was already displaying what we call rank Rank 4 fire behaviour. And this is very aggressive fire behaviour,” he explained. “We don’t put people in front of Rank 4 fires, what we do is make recommendations for evacuation orders and alerts to get people out of the way of fires exhibiting this type of fire behaviour.”

Teams conducted modelling to figure out which areas were most at risk, and with the support of local residents, built fire guards.

“The danger persists and we just really want to recommend people respect the orders and the alerts and the directions that is provided by the local officials on these fires,” said Manwaring.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 260 wildfires burning in the province, and more than 650,000 hectares had burned.

“We are making positive headway right now, but unfortunately this week it will heat up again,” said Conroy. “Many of our crews are working 14 hour days and 14 days in a row in really tough conditions.”

Since Sasse returned, he’s been down to the lake near Fintry to watch B.C. Wildfire Service helicopters filling buckets before heading to the fire line.

“Everyone helping everyone is the most wonderful thing you can have in crisis,” he said.

According to Environment Canada, conditions are not supposed to improve, there’s another heat wave in the forecast.